Take Care of Her
by LauraRoslinForever
Summary: Set after season three but before the events of season four. Coulson fights to keep his job as the director and life returns mostly to normal until a tragedy in another timeline changes Melinda May and Phil Coulson's life forever.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This lil story is meant to be completely nothing but an excuse for a believable baby fic. Also, I do not pretend to understand multiverses or parallel universes. I simply researched a bit of the Marvel multiverse, took the general concept, and ran with it. I apologize if I got it horribly wrong and beg your forgiveness. Having said that, I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Melinda May had never been a heavy sleeper. Even when she was a little girl, the slightest sound could wake her. So when the sound of static charge filled her room, she was already reaching under her pillow. She leaped out of the bed taking aim at her uninvited guest.

"Who are you?" she said right before her eyes widened in shock.

Her own face stared back at her. She blinked but the woman's face didn't change. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened to her, she thought bitterly remembering her and Phil's undercover mission. Remembering the mask.

"I don't have time to explain," the woman said with an urgent desperation in her tone Melinda's thoughts of masks and HYDRA paused, "but you have to listen to me."

For the slightest second, Melinda lowered her stance. If this wasn't an imposter wearing a mask, how could she be looking at herself? What the hell was going on? Clenching her jaw, she raised her gun back up. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I have her," said her double, and Melinda lowered her gaze, watching her doppelgänger unzip her oversized jacket. Melinda's jaw fell open slightly. There, wrapped against the woman's chest, was a baby. "I need you to take her before I run out of time."

She gaped at herself. This had to be some kind of trick. She wasn't about to fall for it. "Run out of time for what?"

The woman removed a black pack from her back, tossed it down on the ground at Melinda's feet. "You'll need that."

"What are you-" But before she could finish her sentence her double stunned her into silence as the woman -as _she _lifted the baby from the wrap that had been holding the infant against her chest into the air. She brought her close and kissed the baby's cheek.

The look in her eyes was one Melinda would never forget. It was a look of love and grief. The tips of the woman's lips lifted as she allowed herself the smallest moment to look at the child before she softly murmured to the baby, "Hi, my sweet girl," her voice broke then and so did a bit of Melinda's resolve, and the woman swallowed before she murmured, "I love you so much."

Melinda's chest constricted at the sight of them. Then, a glint of gold caught her eye. Her other self was wearing a ring. What _was _this?

With one last kiss, the woman's eyes left the baby and locked on hers. Fierce determination replaced the love and grief in her eyes from before. "Put down the gun and take her. I've already said my goodbyes."

_Take _her? She couldn't be serious.

She left Melinda with no choice in the end. Her other self used her shock and disbelief to her advantage and knocked the gun from her hands. Melinda would have reacted if her other self hadn't used those stunned precious seconds that she watched her gun sail across the room to step forward and place the bundle gently in her arms. She stepped back, eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Take care of her."

"Wait!" There was a moment when Melinda would explain it later, where time seemed to slow as they stared at one another. "What's her name?"

A tender smile graced her lips followed by tears that fell from the woman's eyes. "Leia. Her name's Leia."

The static noise returned. A thick band around her double's wrist glowed orange then bright, white hot. Melinda held the baby close and closed her eyes as the room filled with light.

Then as quickly as she came, she was gone.

The light had disappeared; There wasn't a sound that could be heard. Where her other self had been was now empty space. It was as if no one had ever been there. Except there had. The baby in her arms and the bag at her feet was proof enough of that. Her eyes drank the baby in. From her long dark hair to her tiny nose, to her rosebud lips... with a finger she ran it over her soft cheek the baby turned her head towards the touch instinctively. Small bits of the pieces began to come together. "Oh, God," she breathed. With her heart pounding in her chest, she retrieved the bag and pulled open her door. The sound of her bare feet echoed down the hall as she carried the baby as fast as she could. She needed Phil, but first she needed to wake Simmons.

* * *

Melinda hovered close by the examining table while the young bio-scientist scanned and re-scanned and just for good measure, scanned the baby again. When it was clear the child was, in fact, a baby, Simmons began checking over the baby girl. Melinda helped undress her so she could measure and weigh her. Then got her changed and fed with diapers and milk that had been left for her in the bag (her other self's words ringing in her ears, _you'll need that). _While the baby drank from her bottle content in Melinda's arms, Simmons had her recount her story at least a dozen times as her fingers danced over her keyboard.

"I'm going to have to take a small sample of her blood. It'll be from her heel with this." Simmons held up a small round tube. Pressing one end, she showed Melinda how it would only prick her skin enough for her to get out a few drops of blood. "I'm just warning you, she might not like it very much. I suggest you keep her as close as you can, hearing your voice knowing l you have her might help soothe her through this."

Melinda nodded, though she doubted it very much and swallowed. "Do it."

Simmons nodded.

Melinda looked down into the face of the tiny little girl. She was sound asleep again. One of her hands clutched one of her fingers in a grip that was startling strong. Melinda dropped a kiss to her dark hair without thinking and whispered, "It'll be okay."

Simmons removed the small sock from her foot then turned and grabbed the stick. She looked like she'd rather infiltrate HYDRA again rather than poke a needle into the baby's foot. "I'm so sorry, sweetheart, but this might hurt a little."

Melinda's heart twisted, guilt flooded her chest as the baby's face crumpled. Her sharp cry filled the surrounding room not happy at all.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Simmons said, squeezing the baby foot so she could fill the small tube that sucked up the droplets of blood.

The baby kicked her feet and Melinda kissed her over and over again while whispering words of comfort. Words like, "_I know, it hurts. She's almost done. I'm so sorry, baby girl. I promise it'll be over soon." _

"There." Simmons placed the tube down and worked quickly to cover the spot with a small round band aid and then her sock. "Time to see who you belong to, little one."

Melinda lifted the baby placing her against her chest and covered her with the white blanket she arrived in. "All done, baby girl," she whispered over the baby's soft whines and coos. She patted the baby's back in a gentle rhythm that soon had her content and back to sleep.

"You're a natural with her."

Melinda didn't know what to say to that, so she said nothing. There was a time in her life when she would have given anything to be a mother but then after Bahrain… she thought that part of her died in the building that day with the little girl.

It hadn't though, because if it had she wouldn't feel this inexplicable tug on her heart for the little girl in her arms.

The computer made a soft _beep _and Melinda raised her gaze to Simmons, who stared at the computer screen. "Simmons."

The young girl looked over at her, her mouth dropped open. Malinda let out a sigh, and that seemed to snap Simmons out of whatever trance she'd been in. Clearing her throat, she said, "The baby has the DNA of you, Agent May and," Melinda knew before Simmons could even say it who's name it would be, and she was right, "Agent Coulson."

Even though she felt this coming, his name let her in a soft, unbelieving whisper. "Phil."

Melinda felt a hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She wasn't, not by a long shot, but she had to be, at least for right now. Until she knew what the hell was going on and what she would do. She raised her chin. "Get Phil…" No, she couldn't let this get personal. Not here. "Get Coulson in here."

In the ten minutes it took Simmons to wake Phil, Melinda paced the small room trying to come up with a way to break it to him that in another time and place they had been together and had a child. Frankly, she didn't know how he would take it. She was already preparing herself to take on the responsibility herself. It was her that her other self came to, after all. She knew S.H.I.E.L.D had always taken precedence in Phil's life. They were both married to the job, and it was one thing she admired about him. But for her there was no question that things would soon have to change. She couldn't see a path that included both her life as it was today and a baby.

The baby cradled in her arms shifted, drawing her gaze. Melinda's fingers caressed over her soft cheek, then she leaned down and kissed her forehead. She breathed in deep, the baby's scent already locked in her heart. There was so much that would change now. She wouldn't force him to make any changes of his own if it wasn't something he wanted.

She heard their footsteps and turned towards the door. He looked like he dressed in a hurry. A dark blue untucked tee-shirt and jeans. After many undercover missions where they had to pose as a married couple and share a bed, she knew he had his nights when he could be a heavy sleeper. Tonight had to be one of those nights. He looked as tired as she felt.

His eyes met hers then dropped to the baby in her arms and his steps slowed before coming to a stop just inside the door. He turned his head towards Simmons, who stood quietly beside her computer. "Simmons? What's going on?"

Simmons nodded over at Melinda. "I think it'd be best if I let Agent May explain."

"May?"

With one last glance at the baby, she took a deep breath and explained, "Two hours ago I was woke by a woman. She just appeared somehow up in my room." As she spoke, Phil started towards her. "I thought she was some Hydra agent with another one of those damn masks at first," she paused as he came close, "but then I saw the baby." Emotion swelled in her chest, remembering the way she had looked at Leia. Like she would never see her again. She left Phil's hand on her upper arm, and she cleared her throat pushing away the emotions that made her eyes burn with unshed tears. "She told me she was running out of time, threw me that bag, and gave me the baby. Then she was gone.

His brow furrowed. "Gone? Gone where?"

"I have no idea, but there's more." He looked genuinely concerned. His fingers pulsed around her arm, providing her comfort. "This woman, Phil, she was me."

"You? How is that possible?"

"Sir, I believe she came from a separate universe."

His head turned towards Simmons. "A multiverse? Simmons nodded, and he ran a hand over his face. "All right, I'm definitely awake now," he said, then dropped his gaze to the baby. "Why do I feel there's even more to this story?"

Melinda pressed her lips together and looked over at Simmons who took her cue. "After Agent May brought the baby to me, I analyzed her DNA. Her sequence is an exact match for Agent May... and you, Sir."

His expression didn't change; However, Melinda noticed his eyes soften. "Is she healthy?"

Simmons smiled for the first time that night. "She is, wonderfully so. I estimate her to be about three weeks old. She was awake for a little while before. She's bright and alert. From my research, she's a little small length wise for an infant her age but her weight is on track. Aside from finding a close enough match for her mother's milk, there is nothing to worry about."

He swallowed. Melinda knew him well enough to know he was just as affected as she had been underneath his calm exterior. "And we've ruled out any possible alien involvement?"

"As far as the baby is concerned, yes. Leia is one-hundred percent human." Simmons took a breath and met her gaze. "As to how she got here, that I can't explain just yet. I have a theory like I said before, but I'll need to speak with Fitz about it more."

Phil nodded. "Why don't you go wake him and the others. Besides working out an explanation for her being here, I want this place searched and scanned from top to bottom. Every nook and cranny."

"Yes, Sir."

"And Simmons," he called. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Sir," she said, offering him another smile, "and if I may say, congratulations."

When Simmons was gone, he closed the distance between them, standing beside her so he could get a better look at the baby. Melinda watched him, her eyes taking in every emotion that crossed his face. The fear she felt didn't seem to be evident in his eyes, but Phil had always been so much better at taking things in stride than she had.

He lifted a hand and rubbed his thumb over the back of the hand of the baby's softly. "Leia, huh?" He smiled at her and she couldn't help the way her own lips lifted. "I like it. She's cute as a button. Thank God she got her looks from you."

Her shoulders dropped. Of course he'd go and say things like that. "You accept it? Just like that?"

"What other alternative is there?" he asked.

She wanted to kiss him. To have him wrap his arms around her and hold her. In another reality, they had a life and a child and somewhere out there they lost it all. It was incredibly unfair to all involved but she couldn't imagine what it could have been like for them.

"She left a note in the bag. Their world was ending. This was the only way for them to save her. She doesn't say how or why only that she and her father loved her more than anything. That we were the closest alternatives to them." She swallowed past the tightness in her throat. She couldn't meet his eyes any longer and dropped them to the baby. "I don't know what she was thinking of bringing her here. I'm not cut out for this."

"I think you are." The sincerity in his tone had her looking up at him once more. He smiled and raised his hand like he was going to touch her face but then thought better of it and lowered it. "She seems to agree judging by how peacefully she's sleeping in your arms."

She let out a sigh, pushed away her disappointment and asked, "Do you want to talk about the elephant in the room?"

He could run from them but he couldn't run from the situation that was now _theirs_.

He frowned. "She's not an elephant, she's a baby."

"She's _ours_," she said.

"Oh, that elephant." He shrugged. "Can't really say I'm surprised." There he went dropping statements like that on her. It was true they'd been growing closer but close enough to where they married and started a family? She wanted to punch him or kiss him or both. "May I?" he asked, glancing from her to the baby.

"Yeah."

He took Leia from her with a gentle skill that surprised her. The sight of Phil holding a baby, their baby had her heart softening.

He smiled at her. A wide, happy thing she hadn't seen in a while now. "She's so light."

She rolled her eyes. "She's a baby not a bowling ball."

The baby yawned, drawing both of their gazes, then blinked her eyes open. He looked at their daughter, mesmerized.

"Hey, there, Leia," he murmured. The baby held his gaze a little longer. Nothing about waking to him holding her had startled her. Judging by the way her eyes began to blink heavily again, only further supported proof of her parentage. "Wow. I wasn't kidding, Mel. She looks so much like you."

She chuckled lightly, then reached up caressing the baby's cheek with the back of her finger. "I saw some of you, too." The tips of the baby's lips soon lifted at her touch and she smiled. "Right there. Same dimples."

"You know what this means, don't you?" he said. She tilted her head. "Your mother's going to kill me."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes but didn't disagree.


	2. Chapter 2

Fitz joined Simmons and Melinda in the lab twenty minutes later, while Phil spoke with the rest of the team in his office. He returned to the lab to tell her he would help sweep the playground for any suspicious activity and that he wanted her to remain there with the baby until they finished. She didn't exactly enjoy being left behind but knew there was little she could do with Leia. Phil knew that too, and had obviously expected her frustration because he was quick to assure her she had a job to do and that was keeping their daughter safe. The affection in his tone and his eyes left her with little to argue with.

It wasn't until much later that day they all met back in the lab. Phil came in first, over to where she'd been sitting with Leia while she'd been listening to Fitz and Simmons argue for the last few hours. He offered to take the baby from her and was still holding their daughter as everyone slowly filled the room and gathered around them.

Daisy's eyebrows rose the moment she walked in and stayed up as Phil explained to everyone what happened. When he finished, all were silent except for Daisy, who asked, "Leia? Like, as in Princess Leia?"

Phil looked over at her then at Daisy, smiling a big goofy smile. "I certainly dig it."

Daisy's face became thoughtful. "You know I always thought any kid of yours would be named Lola or Peggy."

His eyes may have danced with unbridled amusement, but Melinda shook her head. There was no way she would ever let Phil name their child after a car or, even as much as she admired her, after Agent Carter. "Absolutely not," she said, crossing her arms. "Not in this universe or any other."

Phil grinned over at her. She felt her stomach flutter. He really had to stop smiling at her like that.

"Wait, hold on. How do we know she's just a baby?" Mack asked. The look of disbelief on his face told her he didn't share in Phil and Daisy's amusement about the situation. Melinda had expected the doubt from some and steeled herself for what was to come. "How do we know she isn't some alien ready to transform and kill us all the moment we let our guard down?"

Simmons shook her head. "No, I've triple checked all of my scans. There is no evidence to support anything of that sort. She is just as she looks. An innocent infant."

"I don't understand how this happened. You said she was from another world?" Elena asked looking at her.

Melinda nodded, but it was Fitz who answered her question. "Well, yes, and no. Simmons and I believe she came from another multiverse."

"And what the hell is that exactly?" Elena replied, not without frustration.

Fitz stepped into the middle of the room, his hands steepled in front of him. He had the attention of everyone as he began, "The easiest way to explain it is with the Director." He held out a hand towards Phil. "Let's imagine that before Loki stabbed him in New York, there was a moment where there could have been two separate outcomes. One where he lived by shooting the real Loki and one we all know, where he didn't and died." Phil frowned, Melinda could tell from his look he wasn't exactly happy to have New York brought up but didn't stop him. "Quantum mechanics suggests that every time there is a conflict such as this, the physics doesn't know what to do with the information thereby the timeline of history splits. So in theory, in this example, there's a universe where the Director wasn't stabbed at all, and then there is this one here. They are all divergences in time."

"Hold on. I thought this had nothing to do with time travel," Daisy said carefully.

Fitz held up a finger. "No, you're thinking of changing the _events _of the past or future and that's not what this is. Besides the only way that's even possible is with precise control over the universe… you'd have to be someone like… like..."

"Stephen Strange," Phil supplied. All eyes turned on him. His look became wistful. "I wished I could have worked with him... but that was after, you know."

Melinda bit the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. He was such a nerd, but he was her nerd.

"Exactly," Fitz said, continuing not allowing to be detoured which Melinda appreciated. She'd been up for most of the night and the exhaustion from everything going on was quickly sneaking up on her. "This isn't changing time because the other May didn't come from our timeline but her own."

Mack shook his head. "I'm getting a damn headache trying to wrap my mind around this. I thought multiverses were all a bunch of theoretical made-up mumbo-jumbo."

Fitz sighed loudly before pressing the tips of his fingers against his closed eyes. "They're not mumbo-jumbo… at least not all of it." When he looked around at everyone again, he did so with tired eyes. "Look when it comes down to it, the science has never been exactly proven and yes, it's sketchy at best. What I have explained barely skims the surface on the many theories of a multiverse, but it explains what happened here today better than anything else we could come up with."

"So, in other words, you don't really know for sure," Elena said. Melinda stared incredulously at her but she refused to look at her.

"Is the kid a danger to us all, yes or no?" Mack asked, bluntly, and though she knew it was for the safety of them all Melinda still bristled.

"No," Fitz assured.

Phil stepped forward. "I know you all are anxious, May and I are just as worried about why and how this happened. What we can be sure of is that this wasn't some attack as more of a drop-off situation. So until we find evidence to the contrary, Leia will stay with us and from here on out we will be operating business as usual."

Elena and Mack eyed the baby warily.

Melinda's face hardened.

She was about to tell them off when Daisy spoke up from beside her. "Guys, this isn't the strangest thing to happen to us. The other May brought the baby here to save her from a dying world. She was just trying to keep her kid safe. I don't know about you guys, but crossing multiverses to save their kid… that's something May and Coulson would do."

"Thank you, Daisy," Phil said.

Touched, Melinda reached over and laid a hand on Daisy's shoulder.

"I agree," Elena finally said, "if our world was ending and I could save my niña by taking her to another version of myself I would do it in a heartbeat."

Her words seemed to bring Mack around too. "Alright."

"We appreciate that," Phil said, and she sighed heavily beside him. He looked over at her giving her a look of reproach but she crossed her arms and held his stare making sure she conveyed her _it took them long enough _look. She could tell he was about to smile so he pulled his gaze away from hers. "Look, we're all tired. We've combed this place from top to bottom and come up with no sign of anything out of the ordinary. I say for some of us who need it, we get some much-needed rest."

Everyone agreed, Mack and Elena left first, followed by Fitz and Simmons. The young woman stopped beside her to tell her if she needed anything she could wake her. Melinda nodded and thanked the young scientist for all her help.

Daisy was the only one left, and she pushed herself away from the table she'd been leaning on. She approached them hesitantly as she asked, "Hey so, can I hold her?"

"Sure," Phil said, then carefully handed the baby to Daisy.

Melinda smiled as Phil came to stand next to her, placing a hand on her lower back. As tired as she was, she didn't let herself worry about what it might mean or how it might look and leaned into his touch.

"Hey Leia, it's nice to meet you. Do me a favor and take it easy on these guys. They don't have as much experience as your other parents. It might take them a while to get it together."

Melinda narrowed her eyes. "Hilarious."

Daisy grinned at her, undeterred. "When you get older, I'll teach you how to climb trees and play hide-and-seek. I know where your dad hides the good cookies he's not supposed to be eating from your mom." Melinda looked up at Phil. He looked back, shaking his head he gave her a look like he had no idea what she was talking about. She rolled her eyes. She'd known where he hid them for years now. "We'll stay up late and watch movies while they're off on missions..."

"You realize you just took yourself off the babysitter list," Phil told her but Daisy ignored him too.

"And when you're old enough to drive, we'll get your dad to let us take out Lola..."

Phil stepped over to Daisy. "Okay, holding times over. I'll take her back now."

* * *

The walk back to their rooms was eventful. When she brought the baby to the lab it had been in the middle of the night when the corridors were damn near deserted. Now, however, it was in the middle of the day, and the late afternoon had the halls filled with staff making their way to and from stations, guards on their patrols, people going on and off shifts. They must have drawn the eye of nearly everyone on base. Most of the looks they received ranged from startled to confused. It wasn't every day you got to see the Director and his second-in-command walk down the hall with a baby.

She ignored the stares and began to take a left that would lead to her quarters when she heard Phil from beside her. "Do you think it's wise to take her back to your room?"

Turning, she took the few steps separating them. "You think the other me might come back?"

"I honestly don't know what to think. We don't know what kind of tragedy brought her here. If someone might come looking for her. I just want to keep her safe."

"What are you suggesting?"

"My place?"

"Sounds good to me, but I'll need to grab a few things from mine first."

She had Phil hold Leia while she grabbed her essentials, something to sleep in, and a change of clothes for the morning. She listened with a smile while he talked to their daughter, showing her around the room while she packed her bag. Leia listened with rapt attention, about how much of a badass her mother was and how as soon as she was old enough Melinda would have her on the mat next to her, not that she understood a word he said, Melinda just liked to think she loved listening to Phil's voice. When she was ready he passed Leia back to her and offered to carry her bag which she let him do but drew the line at him taking Leia's bag from her shoulder.

Back in Phil's room, she watched as Phil dropped her bag on the bed then began picking the place up. Her lips pulled up, watching him tidying the place. A discarded pair of sweats on the bed, a pair of shoes kicked off by the bathroom door. She found it cute he thought he needed to clean the place when the place wasn't messy to begin with.

"I thought we could put her in the chair," he said, gesturing to the armchair a few feet from his bed. She raised an eyebrow, and he held up a finger. "I know what you're thinking but If we turn it," he moved over to the chair and moved it so that the front was against the side of the bed, "she can't roll out and it'll be a sort of bed until we can get her one."

"It works," she said, trying not to smile too much at how little he knew about babies. "But just so you know, she won't start rolling for a little while."

"Oh, right… Well, you can never be too safe." He smiled and her top teeth sunk into her bottom lip. "Why don't I take her? You can go put away your things or take a shower. I'll get things situated here, maybe get us something to eat."

"You sure?"

"Oh yeah. Take as long as you need. Simmons sent me some vlogs on babies and first-time parents. I'll probably watch a couple of those."

"Vlogs? Really, Phil?" They were inexperienced parents, sure, but vlogs? Whatever happened to figuring it out as you went? He shrugged noncommittally, and she shook her head. "Just let me know if she wakes up."

"I can do that."

As exhausted as they both were, after having a handful of grapes and reheated left-over Chinese they shared the night before, they got comfortable in his bed neither thinking too much about how at any other time than this it might have been a little awkward.

She picked the side next to the baby and for the longest time, simply watched her daughter sleep. Phil was behind her, his head propped up on his hand doing the same. She reached over and gently lowered her hand, letting it rest on the baby's belly. Her hand rose slightly with every little breath she took. It was still so surreal. This tiny, precious baby was and yet wasn't hers.

She felt a bond forming the moment her other self placed her into her arms but so far she had done a good job holding it at bay. She wanted more than anything to give in, but there was still a part of her heart that warned her not to get too attached.

In her mind, there were still too many knowns. She was sure the moment she gave in would be when her mother came back to take her. Melinda didn't think she could take having to give her back after letting herself get close. It would break her.

She saw the look on her other self's face. The sheer heartbreak. No, she needed to be sure first before she put her heart out there on the line. If it wasn't already too late.

"They were married," she whispered into the quiet of the room.

She felt the bed dip, and then Phil's arm around her middle. "How do you know?" he asked, his voice just as quiet, but said into her ear making a shiver run down her spine.

God, how long had it been since she let someone hold her like this?

"She was wearing a ring."

His chin settled on her shoulder. "Probably after the academy."

She rolled her eyes. Yeah, right. "The academy?"

"Sure, why not?" he asked his tone sounding mock hurt.

She twisted to look up at him. "You're telling me you think you had the courage to ask me to marry you back then?"

"I think I may have had the courage to ask you out," he said, and she could just make out a bit of color in his cheeks. "When do you think they got together?"

"My money's on Russia."

His brow furrowed. "You were just starting to date Andrew."

"I know, but I took that mission to," she paused and closed her eyes hating how vulnerable her next words would sound but they were the truth and if Leia would have resulted from that truth long ago she was tired of denying what she felt... what they felt, "I took it to be with you. If we hadn't waited…"

"We'd have been together," he finished for her. Neither spoke for long moments, she reflecting on all that was finally said, and everything they still left unsaid. His hand that had been resting against her stomach moved up beginning a soft caress up and down her side. "Who knows, the world could differ greatly from this one. Maybe we met in a bookstore or on a blind date?"

A deep feeling a want settled low in her belly. "You're such a hopeless romantic," she said then cursed herself at how breathy she sounded.

"I like to think so."

"Do you really think someone might come after her?"

He sighed before answering. "No. Nothing in her letter indicated we should expect something like that. I think if there was something that would threaten her she would have told you. Still doesn't mean I won't worry about it."

"Same." The thought alone had her wondering if this was even the best place to have her. Maybe she should take the baby and leave for a while somewhere away from here somewhere safe. She could always ask… Realizing she would sooner rather than later call her mother, she groaned. "What am I going to tell my mother?"

"That you and I got married and had a child together." Her eyes widened, and she turned to look at him. He must have realized how that would sound because he added, "I'd add in the 'in another universe' part."

She huffed a quiet laugh. "You know how well that's going to fly," she muttered.

"About as well as it would if I piloted the Zephyr. We should probably try to sleep. She'll probably be up a few times and we should think about taking a trip into town and getting some things for her. We prepare the playground for a lot of things, but a baby isn't one of them."

Phil and his need to always be prepared. It was fine but how long would they have her?

He turned toward her, his hand coming up to rest on her arm. "I know what you're thinking. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't attached already." She looked away, guilt flooding her chest. "Mel, no matter if it's us or them, Leia will grow up safe and loved. As far as anyone is concerned, while she's here, she's ours. Only we'll be the ones to know we got left out of all the fun that was had in making her."

She smiled into his pillow. "God, you're horrible," she muttered, but she was sure he heard the amusement in her voice because she could feel his chest rise and fall behind her with his silent laughter. She rested back against him and closed her eyes. She could so easily fall asleep in his arms and would have but then felt Leia stir right before she heard soft sounds of her whimpering. "Hey sweetheart, I'm here. I'm here."

Phil sat up too and flipped on the light on the nightstand next to his side of the bed. "Can I help?"

She got to her feet, grabbing the black bag where Leia's things were still and placed it on the bed. "Could you grab a bottle from the fridge while I change her?"

Melinda picked up Leia, settling her against her chest and kiss her soft hair.

"Sure." He padded across the room to where he had a small mini-fridge. "Does it need to be warmed?"

"Yeah, just run it under warm water for a couple of minutes. It doesn't need to be hot, just body temperature."

"Got it."

She sat on the bed and gently lowered Leia to lie in front of her. She smiled down at the baby who was looking up at her with her dark eyes, wide awake. Leaning forward, she kissed her cheeks unable to resist how utterly adorable she was. The sleeper the baby wore was white but dotted with lavender hearts that varied from right-side-up to upside-down. It was cute, but definitely something Phil probably picked out.

"There you go baby girl, all clean," she told her little girl as she snapped the last snap of her sleeper. "She picked her up again, holding her out in front of her to give her even more kisses.

Phil returned with the bottle, he was smiling down at them when he held out the bottle for her. "Here you go."

"Thank you," she told him then turned her attention to the little girl in her arms. "Are you hungry?" she asked even though she knew the answer. She put the bottle up to the baby's lips and Leia took it, greedily sucking it down. She chuckled, rubbing her thumb over her cheek. "That's it."

Phil leaned back against the headboard and without thinking, followed so she was beside him, leaning against his side.

"You're already a wonderful mother," he said after a moment. "I don't think she knows a difference."

The baby made soft whimpering sounds while she drank making them both look down at her with soft smiles. Phil reached and ran a hand over her head, brushing her dark hair.

For a long while, they stayed like that. Watching Leia drink, talking to her when she looked up at them with her curious eyes. As her belly filled though, the drowsier she seemed to become so that when the last of her milk was drank, her eyes were closed, fast asleep again.

Melinda had Phil get her a clean hand towel from his bathroom to use as a temporary burp cloth. They would definitely need to go shopping soon.

With Leia on her shoulder, Melinda patted her back gently.

"I can't believe I missed the best part," Phil said making her tilt her head at him.

"What? Her birth?"

"Well that, too, but really," he paused giving her a bashful smile, "I'd have paid good money to have seen you pregnant." She rolled her eyes and yet felt heat creep into her cheeks. The bashfulness swiftly became something more akin to pride. He reached up and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Fearsome. Protective. Beautiful."

She scoffed lightly as not to wake the baby. "Unbelievable. You weren't even the one to get the job done and still you're smug as hell."

"No, but it was a version of me and I'll take what I can get."

"I'm sure you will." Truthfully, she'd be lying if she said she wasn't a little sad she didn't get to experience that part of Leia's life. Her daughter let out a burp and stayed asleep when Melinda placed her back in her little makeshift bed of blankets. "We should get some sleep while she does."

She and Phil got settled back into their same positions. He reached back and switched off the light as he told her, "Maybe we'll get lucky and she'll be one of those babies that sleeps through the night?"

Closing her eyes, she breathed in deep. His pillow smelled like pine and laundry soap. She felt his arm as it slipped around her and she moved back until she felt his chest against her back. "I'll settle for a long nap at this point."


	3. Chapter 3

The baby slept incredibly well through the night. She woke every three hours wanting a bottle and once woke wanting nothing more than to be held. Phil thought it was because Leia was out of her normal environment. Melinda's brows had furrowed, still tired and not catching on to his meaning, so he further explained that their daughter probably had a home outside of the playground in this other universe.

She blinked at him, trying but failing not to imagine her and Phil living a normal civilian lifestyle. Images flickered through her mind for the rest of the night after that. As did all the questions that came with them. Questions like, did they have an apartment in the city or a house in the suburbs? Were they the couple who took time off and went to the movies? Did they have dinners and nights at home? Was Phil the director of S.H.I.E.L.D in their other life? If he was, were they able to set work aside and choose them every once in a while?

Something inside told her they did and were, but as wonderful as that life had been for them, something had come and stole that happy life away.

Phil got dressed and left early that morning wanting to get the paperwork out of the way before they went out for the day. She had the morning to herself so she did Tai chi in his room while the baby slept trying to get her mind in the right frame of mind before she called her mother.

She decided sometime during the night while gazing at her daughter and listening to Phil's soft snores beside her; she needed to get away. Not from Phil or the baby but the Playground and work. Away from alternate realities and forces threatening to kill them and just live like a new mother for a while.

Because when it came down to it, that's what she was now. A mom. And that terrified her more than she would ever admit.

With Leia asleep on the bed, she took her phone and laid down beside her. For a while, she let her phone rest between her and the baby and ran her fingers over the soft, dark hair of her newborn. It amazed her how long and thick it was. Leia had gotten her hair, her eyes, and maybe even her nose from her, but those cheeks and that smile, that was Phil.

The baby stirred as she caressed her cheek, but didn't wake. With a smile, she wondered if the two hours Leia was awake earlier that morning had worn her out. She had been so enthusiastic in wanting to be held and talked to, kicking her feet and waving her hands in the air. Melinda had to remind Phil three times of the paperwork that was waiting for him.

He had been procrastinating then, just like she was doing now.

Taking her phone, she brought up her mother's number before she could change her mind and pressed call. She only had to wait three rings before her mother picked up. "Hey, it's me."

"Qiaolian, it's about time I heard from you," her mother's quiet voice replied. "What's wrong?"

Melinda frowned, slightly offended. "I don't only call you when something's wrong."

"Oh, alright then."

The line was silent as her mother waited for her to continue. Melinda held in a sigh. Alright, maybe she only called her mother when things went to hell, but this wasn't that. Not for this version of herself, anyway. "I was thinking of coming to see you. Phil and I, we…" she trailed off, biting her lip. We what? Had a baby? She might not want to start like that.

"Has he finally asked you to marry him?"

Her eyes widened, and she sat up so she could move across the room away from the baby before she sputtered a, "What? No, Mama. It's… not like that."

It was kinda like that. Sort of.

She rolled her eyes at herself.

"Yes?"

Melinda looked over at Leia, who raised her arms above her head but stayed asleep. "It's a long story."

"Lucky for you I had a free morning."

The urge to let out the most hysterical laugh almost overwhelmed her. Where did she even start? Taking a deep breath, Melinda started at the beginning and told her everything.

Walking into the kitchen an hour and a half later, Melinda was on a mission to grab a tea and a Lara bar on her way to see Phil. Her mother had quietly listened as she recounted her time with her other self and all that had taken place after. She listened patiently as Melinda admitted her fears and cast doubt on her abilities. In the end, it was decided that she, the baby, and even Phil would go stay at her mother's.

She shifted Leia in her arms so she could reach for a cup just when she heard a gasp from behind her.

She turned to find Simmons coming at her with a worried frown. "There you both are. How was everything? Did she eat? Did she sleep all right?"

"She's fine. She woke every three hours, drank an ounce and a half each time and went right back to sleep." Her tone may have been abrupt and matter-of-fact, but if Simmons minded it didn't show it.

"I'm so glad to hear that," she told her, then reaching into her back pocket, pulled out a slip of paper. "I couldn't sleep much thinking about everything that happened, so I prepared you a list of things you may need for her." She pointed to the first item on the list and explained, "This formula here is the next best for her after the milk you have. But if it upsets her stomach, you may need to try a more lactose sensitive version, which would be this one here."

She pointed them to the one underneath, then handed her a list with the names of the different formulas with a note under each about the ingredients and why each was important to Leia. Along with the formula, there were items like pacifiers, teething rings, infant Tylenol, diaper rash cream… the list went on and on.

Melinda swallowed, a small lump forming in her throat being touched and feeling guilty for not taking the time to look up things like this up herself. A day into being a mother, and she was already failing.

Simmons must have taken her silence for annoyance because, in the next moment, the young girl was stammering an apology. "I'm sorry, May. I hope I didn't overstep-"

She shook her head. "No, you didn't. Thank you, Jemma. I appreciate this," she said, offering her a small smile.

Slipping the list into her pocket, she took a bag of green tea from a container on the counter. Simmons was still hovering close by, making Melinda think she wanted more than just to give her the list. "Did you want to hold her?"

Jemma positively beamed at her. "May I?"

Melinda nodded, then let Jemma take her from her. Leia cooed softly, her gaze unsure about the switch until Jemma began to talk to her.

"Good morning, lovely. Aren't you wide awake? You've got the prettiest eyes." She ran her finger over her brow, then down her cheek. "You look a lot like your mum, did you know that?"

Melinda smiled and used the time Simmons had Leia to finish making her tea.

"Morning, everyone."

"Oh, good morning, Sir," Jemma said brightly, looking over Melinda's shoulder.

Before she could turn, she felt Phil's hand warm and pressing on her lower back. "Good morning," he replied to Jemma, then for Melinda he gave her a crooked smile. "Hey."

"Hey yourself," she said in return, making his smile widen.

Thankfully, Jemma was oblivious to their obvious flirting as she rocked Leia from side to side, looking down at her with adoring eyes. "I was just telling Leia how much she looks like her mum."

Phil's hand slid from the small of her back to her hip. His eyes were bright and proud when he replied, "She does, doesn't she?" then adding, "The most beautiful baby I've ever seen."

At that moment, Fitz walked in and saved Melinda from anyone noticing the blush that had risen in her cheeks.

"Fitz, you should hold her," Jemma said, walking over to him.

Holding his hands in the air, he backed away. "I dunno, Jemma, I'm not that good with babies."

She shook her head despite his protests. "Nonsense, you won't hurt her." Melinda opened her mouth to suggest Jemma wait until another time when he was more comfortable, but the young girl was already putting Leia in his reluctant arms. "There you go."

Phil must have felt Melinda tense. His hand moved from her hip to caress her back.

Fitz stood rooted to the spot, awkwardly holding Leia. To his credit, he at least didn't look like he would drop her, but his facial expression set like he was holding a bomb. "All right, she's cute. Can I be done?"

No doubt sensing how uncomfortable the man holding her was, Leia began to cry. Melinda wasn't the only one at the end of her rope and thank God Phil chose that moment to take her. A second longer and Melinda would have walked over and taken her herself.

"I'll take her," he said. "I have to steal her and her mother away for the afternoon, anyway."

Melinda breathed a sigh of relief as Phil lifted her onto his shoulder. She watched him as he swayed her gently, patting her back, telling her he had her now. Her cries lessened significantly, helping Melinda relax. She and Phil left, and Melinda thought whatever baby phobia Fitz had, he could get over it with his own baby and not hers.

—

They made their way to his office in silence. Melinda noticed there were less confused, curious glances and more smiles than before. Word about Leia must have spread overnight.

Once inside, he closed the door after her and as he made his way over to his desk, he told her, "I got an SUV all gassed up and ready to go whenever you're ready."

She took a breath and sat her tea on his desk. They had joked about her mother's reaction the night before, but she hadn't told him about going to see her. Then again, she hadn't fully committed to any plans until after Phil left that morning. She hoped he took it well. "About that..."

His eyes rose to meet hers. "Uh oh, I see a plan forming. What do you want to do?"

He wasn't going to like this. It was last minute and asking a lot of them both. "I want to take Leia to my mother's."

"Oh." His face fell and she could tell he was on the verge of taking her leaving personally if she didn't explain.

"Just for a week, maybe two? If the other me doesn't come back for her…" she paused, not wanting to go down that road again. "I want some time to figure out how to do this. How to be a mom without everyone we work with watching. Until we decide what we're going to do on a more permanent basis, I just want to have some time alone with her." She turned her gaze out the window. If she looked at him he'd be able to see how deep her insecurities went and she didn't want that. When she had her emotions under control, she looked over at him. He was studying her thoughtfully. She went over to him, gentling her voice as she said, "Come on, Phil, this is no place for a baby."

"I don't know, it's safe and secure," he said with a wistful look around the room. She leveled him with a hard stare. He cleared his throat and looked down at his desk, shuffling papers with the hand not holding their child. "Except from other universes, apparently. I get what you mean. We should consider other options."

She crossed her arms and gave a single nod. "We should."

"And you think the best place to do this is at your mother's?" he asked, his face set in a slight cringe. "You don't by chance still have that cabin in Australia?"

"Here we go, Phil, my mother doesn't hate you."

"She does. She absolutely does. She's told me many times with her eyes."

Melinda rolled hers. He was so dramatic.

"You were all I talked about when we started working together, she thought you were distracting me," she said by way of explaining her mother's less than warm feelings for him. His brows rose as his smug look from the night before returned full force. Narrowing her eyes, she added, "Don't let that go to your head."

"Oh, it's far too late for that. I'm starting to think I was right about the other us happening after the academy. Why am I only hearing about this now?"

Heat once again rose in her cheeks. God, she hated herself for letting him get to her. She tried hard to keep from smiling, but oh, that smile of his… she hated him. "Because of this reaction right here."

"What's wrong, Mel? You're looking a little flushed."

His teasing her, _flirting_ with her while holding their sleeping daughter against his chest was doing things to her. Fatherhood was a damn good look on Phil Coulson and she suspected he knew it. `

"I'll show you flushed," she murmured, taking a step towards him.

"Yeah?" he challenged, with a step towards her.

She eyed him, crossed her arms and took a step that had them standing so close she could feel the warmth of his chest on her skin. "Yeah."

His eyes fell to her lips, and she suddenly felt hers doing the same as they drifted closer together. Her heart pounded in her chest so hard she was sure he could hear it. Just as her eyes drifted shut, as soon as she felt the whisper of his lips on hers, his phone chose that moment to ring, startling them away from one another. He picked up the phone, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Go ahead," he said to the caller.

She bit her lip and took a breath while dropping her gaze to the baby. Her heart still pounding in her chest. Phil almost kissed her. If he hadn't been holding Leia, she probably would have turned on her heel and left, disappearing for the rest of the day while she figured out what it all meant. However, her daughter's presence kept her grounded in a way that didn't make her want to run out the door. Melinda realized right then that she wasn't as afraid of what it might mean because she knew. It meant the beginning of a future with him.

His call ended and after hanging up, he smiled softly at her. "When do you want to leave?"

"I called her this morning. She'll have a car here in a few hours. Things are quiet here right now. I thought maybe you could come with us?"

"I can't let you go and have all the fun," he told her. She held out her hands, wanting her baby back in her arms. He carefully transferred Leia from his chest to hers without waking her. "Three hours, eh? I guess I better go pack a bag... and maybe a vest."

She watched him walk away, shaking her head. Dropping a kiss to Leia's brow, she whispered, "Should we tell him năinai won't be there?" Leia stirred against her, stretching and yawning. She blinked up at her a few moments before letting her eyes drift shut once again. "Nah, it's more fun like this."

A little over three hours later, she and Phil stood outside as her mother's driver pulled up. The car was a large black SUV with tinted windows. It was as large and imposing as one of their own. She and Phil shared an amused look. He opened one of the passenger doors and turned back towards her.

"Wow, your mother goes all out. Complete with a driver and a car seat. I'm impressed she thought of it."

"I told her about Leia. You're lucky she didn't drive here herself."

He snorted and handed their bags to the driver. "I can imagine her disapproving look staring at me in the rearview mirror for the entire two-hour trip."

She smiled when he winked at her before turning towards their team, who had come to see them off. "We'll be back in a week," he told them, "while we're gone, Mack's in charge. Report to us if you find anything or-"

"Or if anyone shows up from a multiverse." Daisy's lips tipped up into a knowing smile. "Got it." She went over to May, bent down and kissed Leia's cheek. "Bye, kiddo."

Next up was Simmons. She went over, mirroring Daisy and kissing her cheek too. "Goodbye, little one."

They said their goodbyes, and Melinda turned away first. In the car, she gently eased the baby into the rear-facing seat, then went through the painstaking process of finding all the buckles. The baby had woken with Daisy's kiss goodbye and was looking up at her with her dark eyes, patient as could be.

Once she found all the straps, she buckled in Leia while Phil got in and put on his seat belt. Satisfied it was secure but not too tight around her baby, she nodded to the driver they were ready and put on her own.

Normally, she would relax back into her seat and shift her gaze out at the view, but the baby's soft coos kept her attention solely on her. She was awake and happy. Eyes shining up at her like Melinda hung the moon.

Though they only had her a day, Melinda couldn't imagine life without her now.

Phil reached over to put his hand over hers where it rested on the side of the car seat. She looked up; He was smiling at her. She smirked, and turning her hand over in his, laced their fingers together.

"It'll be alright," Phil said as though reading her thoughts.

Her smile widened. "Shouldn't I be saying that to you?"

He groaned. "When we get back, we're opening that bottle of Haig. Lord knows I'll need it."


	4. Chapter 4

Rain poured down from the skies almost the entire drive to her mother's. Melinda breathed a sigh of relief when she realized the car seat had a cover that would wrap around it. Tucking Leia's blanket around her, she covered the car seat, dashing for the porch of her mother's house while Phil got their bags from the driver. She took her key from her pocket and unlocked the door. Inside, she kicked off her shoes on the mat in the hall.

She was just inside the foyer taking off her coat when Phil came in dripping wet. She had to turn her head away to keep from smiling at the sight.

"Don't forget to take off your shoes," she reminded him.

He nodded, doing so while saying, "I'm surprised your mother wasn't on the front porch to greet you."

Melinda put the car seat on the floor, kneeling as she removed the cover. She smiled at Leia, and with a casual air, told him, "She's not home."

The sound of the door shutting but nothing else had her looking over to see a bewildered Phil standing in the hall holding their bags, attempting to toe-off his shoes. "What? She's not here?"

"I never said she would be," she replied, unbuckling Leia, deliberately not looking at him.

She heard him drop their bags on the ground. "Are you serious right now?" Her lips pulled up, and as they did, she finally looked over to see his lips pulled down into a deep frown. His hands were on his hips, his face set in a look she knew well. It called her a traitor. "That's cruel, Mel. Even for you. I had a whole speech prepared."

"A speech?" She raised a brow, intrigued. Lifting Leia to lie on her chest, she asked, "What kind of speech?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Now he was the one smirking at her. He had no intention of telling her either, the bastard. He was lucky he was cute.

She walked with Leia into the living room. Her mother, the minimalist, had only the most practical furniture. Two maroon armchairs beside the fireplace with a large, white linen sectional sofa. The floors in her home were all dark wood, but in the center of the living room were double champagne-colored rugs, and in the center, a simple wood coffee table.

The house was thankfully warm. They wouldn't need to turn up the heater or light a fire. Her mother probably controlled the temperature and adjusted it before they arrived.

Phil came to stand beside her. He'd been here with her once when he came to visit after a job overseas had Melinda on bed rest for three weeks. The house still looked much the same, even after all these years. "So how long do we have this place to ourselves?" he asked.

"She didn't say," she said, shifting Leia to cradle her in her arms. She was pleased to see her awake. "Hi, baby girl." To Phil, she said, "I'm going to feed her. Do you want to take the bags upstairs?"

"I can do that." Before he left, Phil leaned down and kissed Leia's forehead. "And afterward, I'll make us some lunch. I don't know about you, but I'm starving. Those donut holes we got at the store didn't exactly hit the spot."

"Sounds good," she called after him. She waited until she could hear his footsteps upstairs then told her daughter, "He's a good daddy, isn't he?" She kissed her again. "You don't cry a lot. Were you always this good?" Cuddling her close, she brushed her nose against the baby's tiny one. "I bet you were."

Leia kicked her legs and cooed softly. Melinda's chest clenched. She found it amazing how quickly this tiny little girl wrapped herself around her heart. A tiny fist made its way up to her mouth where she chewed on it enthusiastically.

"Is that a hint?" she asked, amused.

Making her way into the kitchen, she stopped and grabbed Leia's bag beside the car seat with the formula they picked up for her along the way. The directions were straightforward enough. She pulled the plastic from the top with one hand, impressed with herself, she'd quickly adapted to doing things easily with one hand. With a bottle from the bag, she went over to where her mother kept filtered water and filled two ounces. Taking the formula, Melinda brought the powdered substance up to her nose. Her nose wrinkled, and she dropped it back to the counter immediately.

"I'm not going to lie to you," she said looking down at her daughter, "it smells like crap." The baby only gurgled up at her in reply, making Melinda smile.

Filling up a scoop, she dumped it into the bottle and replacing the cap, shook it until it fully dissolved. She turned on the tap, let it heat and placed the bottle under it, waiting for it to warm just a bit. She wasn't sure how Leia would like it, but she was out of options. As soon as it was ready, Leia latched on to the bottle, sucking it down just as quickly as she had with her breast milk.

Melinda chuckled, the baby's satisfied hums reminding her of how Phil inhaled his food. "You eat like your father," she murmured, kissing her forehead.

"Hey, I heard that." He passed beside them, looking at Leia adoringly before leaning in and kissing Melinda's cheek so quickly she could have imagined it. "Okay, now while you're taking care of our daughter, let's see what kinds of food your mother has for us," he said while crossing the room to the fridge. "Wow, okay. It's pretty stocked up. What do you feel like having?"

He looked over at her, completely unaware his kiss had left her breathless. "Whatever you want to make is fine," she said when she realized he was staring at her.

"With all that's in here I could make us some great sandwiches," he told her looking hopeful. The man loved sandwiches.

"That's fine. If you want to wait, I can help after I feed her."

He shook his head, already grabbing vegetables from the fridge. "No, I've got this. Leave it to me. Take Leia and go relax."

"You sure?"

"Absolutely."

He hadn't lied. He made great sandwiches. Wheat bread with tomato, avocados, lettuce, cucumber, and ham with just a little honey mustard. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until she took that first bite. When they finished, he took their plates and cleaned up while she checked on Leia. The baby was sleeping soundly, but unable to resist, Melinda picked her up anyway.

Phil just came into the room holding two cups as she took a seat on the couch. "I made you some tea."

"Thank you." She smiled up at him. "Lunch was good. I forgot how good your sandwiches were."

He took a seat next to her, facing her slightly, putting his arm up on the back of the couch, propping his head with his fist. "I'll have to make us food more often."

"I won't argue with that."

The next moment, Leia grunted in her sleep, taking their eyes off one another and onto her. She stretched in Melinda's arms but stayed asleep.

"Do you want me to take her for a while?"

She probably should share her more, but she never had the chance to know what it felt like to carry her for nine months and was making up for that time by holding her every chance she could get. "Not really."

He chuckled, a knowing look on his face. She'd let him have her in a little while. "I'm still waiting for the frustrating part." She tilted her head at him, her brow furrowed. "You know, crying all night, both of us suffering from sleep deprivation," he explained.

She shook her head. "I don't think she's that kind of baby."

"She probably got that from me. Her temperament. Goes with the flow. Content to just be wherever you are."

She smiled and so did he. He really couldn't help himself. That's what these last few months had been. Even before Leia had come, there had been more of this. More looks, more touches, more shameless flirting. She loved it. It felt comfortable and new, but also them. "Lucky for us both."

"I've been doing some thinking and I think keeping her with us at the Playground wouldn't be a bad thing."

She appreciated the shift into the more serious and turned to face him. "Really?"

"I do," he said, "but before I get into why first tell me what you were thinking. This is why we're here to discuss. You, Leia, and her safety and whatever you feel comfortable with comes first."

She felt her chest warm. It touched her that he felt that he could be open with her and have this discussion, placing their family and her opinions at the forefront for once. It would make the talk she wanted to have with him a lot easier.

Taking a deep breath, she finally voiced what she'd been thinking. "In all honesty, I'm thinking of retiring."

He sighed, his eyes dropping from hers to the baby. "I thought something like this was coming. But retiring? I can understand taking some time off-"

"Time off is great, but then I come back and it's both of us out there, Phil," she said interrupting him. "Working together was fine before, but now we have her. We can't keep putting both our lives in the line of fire." She let him think about that a few heartbeats then in an attempt to lighten the mood said, "Besides, I'm sure there's a rule you can't work directly with someone you have a child with."

He looked confused for a second and then he realized what she was saying and he smiled. "You're thinking of fraternization and we haven't…"

"Fraternized," she teased, lifting a brow. She was pleased to see his neck and ears had gone pink. She smiled triumphantly. "You're looking a little flushed, Phil."

He shook his head, amused. "I know what you're doing. You're trying to soften the blow."

Tone softening, she said, "Think about it though, where would she be if something happened to us? It's not like we can drop her off at the next multiverse. She already lost one set of parents, Phil, I won't do that to her. Not again."

He dropped his hand and took hold of hers. "We both will then."

"No, Phil. I won't let you do that. S.H.I.E.L.D. means everything to you-"

"That's where you're wrong. Melinda," he said, his hand tightening around hers, "you mean everything to me, and I know we've only had her for a little while, I love Leia as much as if she were ours. I gave my life to S.H.I.E.L.D., literally, but that was when it was just me. I didn't have a family to consider like I do now."

She opened her mouth to argue with him, but another voice from the hall beat her to any response she could have had.

"I'm happy to hear such sentiments from you, Phillip."

Melinda's head turned towards the sound of her mother's voice. "Mama."

Phil turned his head and smiled, not at all surprised to see her standing there. "How are you, Mrs. May?"

"Eager to hear this story, and to see my daughter and granddaughter."

Melinda got to her feet, meeting her mother in the middle of the room. "I thought you might not be home until the weekend?"

"I won't be able to so I came back for the night." Her mother's gaze shifted to Leia. Her eyes softened as she reached out for her. "May I?" Melinda nodded, putting the baby in her mother's arm. "She looks so much like you, Qiaolian."

"They say she has my smile," Phil said, a proud smile on his face that Melinda returned.

Her mother wasn't as convinced. "Perhaps." Melinda frowned at her, but her mother ignored the look. After a few tense moments, she looked at them both then turned, heading in the kitchen's direction. "Come, let's make some tea and talk about things."

Talking about things turned out to be mostly about Melinda as a child. How hard it was for her mother to raise her while working, but how the sacrifices had always been worth it.

Melinda agreed with the majority of it but still harbored her doubts. Doubts that stemmed from her childhood and growing up without her mother around. If she were to still work, she'd do it differently. She'd make Leia more of a priority in her life. Not that she told any of that to her mother. What happened between them couldn't be changed. Her childhood was what it was.

"I am glad to see you're taking this seriously. You would have had this life long ago if you made better choices."

Melinda scowled at her mother. She hadn't missed her meaning. She resented her bringing up decisions she made after Bahrain and her failed relationship with Andrew, especially in front of Phil. It was low and uncalled for.

"I have the life I want, the one I've always wanted, and that's all that matters."

Her mother's eyes flicking to Phil who sat beside her holding Leia. If he reacted to her comment, he didn't let it show. Instead, he continued to talk and make faces at Leia while she cooed and hummed in response while reaching up to touch his face. She'd never seen Phil look more endearing, except maybe with Daisy.

Her mother didn't find it adorable. Her gaze lifted, slipping from Phil to her. "Tā shìgè zháng bù dà de háizi, Qiaolian."

Melinda sighed.

Phil looked over at her, brows raised. She shook her head at him.

Feeling like it was time to change the subject, she told mother, "Phil and I need to go do some shopping tomorrow. Would you mind if we take the car?"

Her mother took a sip of her tea. "It is yours to use while you're here, however, I have plans for us tomorrow."

"Oh, alright. Well, we'll need to make sure we stop by a store. We need some things for the baby."

"That is precisely why we are going out. My granddaughter will get everything she needs." Pushing herself away from the table, Lian rose to her feet. "It's been a long day, I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight, Mama."

"Goodnight, Mrs. May."

They waited for her to go and once Melinda knew she was out of earshot; she looked over at Phil. He gazed back, his look conveying the comfort she needed but felt she didn't deserve. It should be her looking at him like she wanted nothing more than to pull him into her arms and not the opposite.

Leia yawned, and Phil gently swayed her in his arms. The motion had her blinking heavily. "Should we go up too?" he asked.

"I think we better."

She followed Phil upstairs, where he stopped in Melinda's room to put Leia down on the bed. She needed to be fed once more before they went to bed for the night, but Melinda wanted to talk to Phil before then. When Leia's eyes closed, she put her hand on his back and gestured with a tilt of her head for him to follow her. The baby stayed asleep as they left, and she went with him down the hall into the guest room further away from her mother's room where they could talk without her overhearing or waking Leia.

"That was nice. I really felt the love," he said, walking over to where his bag rested on the bed, unzipping it and taking out a pair of cotton pants. "What was that she called me? My Chinese is a little rusty, but whatever it was… was directed at me."

Melinda sighed. "She called you an overgrown child."

"See that's…" he trailed off then hung his head, "not entirely inaccurate. Maybe a little fair."

Seriously? She'd suddenly had enough of everything. Pushing herself away from the door frame, she went over to him. He needed to know none of what her mother thought mattered. That a life with him was all she needed. "Would you stop? Phil, I'll admit you have your moments, but none of that matters to me."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. But she made a good point."

"You think so, too? Man, what a hit to my ego."

She licked her lips. She knew he was trying to make light of the comment, but she wanted to have a serious conversation. She couldn't do that with him being cute the entire time.

"Not about you, about work. That maybe retiring isn't the answer. Maybe," she trailed off, looking up into his blue eyes, "we can take it one step at a time? I could take a little while away from the base and figure out how to be a mom, then come back part-time. We're a damn good team."

"We are."

"I'll always want to be there with you, to have your back." She reached up, her gaze on a broken thread that hung from the seam of his shirt and how she had to get it before it annoyed her. Also, she found it hard to look at him. "There will always be something. Something that will force our hand and make us choose the greater good because that's what we do, I just…" He tilted his head, drawing her gaze. "I'm not tired of making that choice, but I'm tired of letting it rule my life. How many times now should we have opened that bottle of Haig?"

He smiled gently at her. "More times than I can count."

"We keep jumping from one crisis to the next without taking a moment for ourselves. Just this once I want to be honest and admit I want more. Leia is proof that we can have it."

"How do you know we weren't school teachers in this other life?"

"Because the other me knocked the gun out of my hand before I could react."

He smirked. "That's saying something."

"What do you want?" she asked him, finally.

He looked at her for a few long heartbeats, his eyes filled with so much affection for her she found it impossible to look away. "I want to stop dancing around what we have, especially now that we have so much." He took her hands, looking down at them. "I don't think the world will end if we stand still together for a while. Find our footing while we find our way through whatever comes next."

She swallowed. "Do you mean that?"

Again the surrounding air filled with tension. Only this time there would be no phone call to interrupt them. He leaned down, and her breath left her. His lips were soft against hers, and his hand came up to cradle her face before slipping back into her hair. After all this time, they were finally here. She couldn't believe it. These last few days felt like a dream. A dream she never wanted to wake up from. She felt him deepen the kiss and her mouth softened under his. There was a groan, hers or his she couldn't be sure, but just as their kiss grew more demanding the sound of their daughter's cries shattered the moment between them.

Leia.

Phil broke their kiss, dropping his forehead softly against hers. "Our daughter has impeccable timing."

She smiled and raised her hand to rest against his chest. "Once she goes back to sleep, maybe you can try that again?"

He lifted an eyebrow at her but said nothing in response. As she left the room, she took his hand and also his bag bringing them with her to her room where, if she had anything to say about it, he and it would stay for the rest of the trip.


	5. Chapter 5

Unfortunately for Melinda, Phil didn't get the chance to kiss her again because he had taken Leia to give her her bottle and sometime between him burping the baby and him crawling into bed beside her, Melinda had drifted off.

She woke a few hours later, hearing Leia's soft whimpers. She eased herself from Phil's arms, telling him to stay in bed, that it could be his turn to get her the next time. He mumbled something incoherent and sleepy into her neck, then kissed her just under the ear before he let her move away.

She padded over to the bassinet her mother had gotten for Leia to use before they arrived. Her baby girl's cries became more urgent the longer it took Melinda to reach her.

"Hey, baby girl, I'm here," she murmured as she took her in her arms.

The baby settled at the sound of her voice with one last little soft coo. Melinda brought her up close, breathing her in before kissing her brow once, twice, another lingering, not able to get enough of her.

"Are you hungry, sweetheart?"

Phil's soft snores filled the room as she took Leia from the room and downstairs.

Climbing back into bed later, Melinda slid back until she felt Phil behind her. He shifted, wrapped his arm around her. Her last fleeting thought before sleep claimed her was, she could get used to this. His warmth. The feel of him against her back. This breath against her neck. Even if he snored a little. It was nothing she couldn't get used to falling asleep to.

It was exactly that sound that lulled her back to sleep.

She felt like she had just closed her eyes when she heard her mother's insistent voice calling out to her from the slightly open bedroom door.

"Qiaolian, it's time to wake up. We have things to do."

Melinda blinked and raised herself on her arm. Her eyes drifted blearily from her mother to Leia, who was still sound asleep, and then back. "What time is it?"

"It's time to get up. You too, Phillip."

She wasn't sure if her mother had woken him or if he'd already been awake because his voice sounded bright and alert behind her. "Yes, ma'am."

"We are leaving in one hour," she informed them, then shut the door with a thump.

Melinda let herself fall back onto her pillow with a soft groan.

Phil pulled her back and nuzzled her neck. "Where are we going?"

"I don't know," she grumbled, cranky and tired but resigned to her fate that she would have to get up soon. "It's best not to ask."

"Too bad." She smiled, feeling his lips on her neck. "I'm fine right here."

His lips lingered on her skin just below her ear, making her shiver. She forgot how much she loved waking up feeling content and, dare she think, loved?

She reached back, threading her fingers through his short hair. "Me too."

He raised on his elbow to gaze down at her. "Hey."

She smiled, reached up to brush her thumb across his stubbled cheek offering a, "Hey," in return.

He leaned down and her eyes closed as their lips met. It was a sweet, chaste kiss. He never deepened it, keeping to a light brush of lips. She knew they needed to get up before her mother came pounding on their door, but she couldn't be bothered to care about anything other than this moment with Phil… well, almost anything.

Leia had chosen that moment to wake, and it was probably for the best. Having Phil warm and above her, pressing her deliciously into the mattress would only lead them to trouble. They broke apart, smiling like teenagers at one another.

"I'll get her," he told her.

She nodded and watched him cross the room to the bassinet where their daughter was whimpering softly for their attention. Phil talked to their daughter as he changed her. Melinda sat up, watching the adorable exchange. Leia lifted her arm, reaching up for him, and he bent down, plying her tiny hand with kiss after kiss.

After he changed the baby, he picked her up and went over to her side of the bed and gave Leia to her. "I'll go make her a bottle."

"Thank you," she mumbled against his lips when he followed his words with a kiss.

She sighed as he left. It was too easy falling into this little domestic life. If she were honest with herself, she never thought she'd have it again. Though she imagined her and Phil having something close to it, it was never like this.

She gazed down at Leia. Her daughter looked as content as could be in her arms while she waited for her bottle. Melinda kissed her cheek and smiled down at her as she whispered good morning and told her just how much she loved her.

After peppering her with more kisses, she took her cell from the bedside table. "Should we call Daisy?" The baby hummed, and Melinda took that as good as any yes.

Daisy picked up after a few seconds and when she did, the young girl sounded out of breath. "Hey, how's it going?"

Melinda's brow furrowed, instantly on alert. "What's wrong?"

Daisy scoffed. "Nothings wrong, everything's fine. I was just working out."

Melinda hummed. After everything that happened with Lincoln, they'd been keeping a close eye on Daisy. She'd become detached, withdrawing from the group, blaming herself for what happened. She had half a mind to have Phil go get Daisy and bring her there with them. "I was just checking in to see how things were there."

"Okay, a little on the boring side to be honest. How's Coulson and the baby?"

"Good. Downstairs, making Leia a bottle."

"Awe," Daisy began, "he's a good daddy."

She smiled with her eyes on Leia. "He is."

"You'll be a good mom, you know," Daisy said then cleared her throat before adding, "in case you needed to hear that."

Unexpectedly, Melinda's eyes filled with tears, recognizing those maternal feelings rising in her not only for Leia but also for Daisy too. "Thanks. It... means a lot to me that you think so."

As if the young girl sensed her emotional slip, she said, "Well, I better go. I gotta get the rest of my workout in before my SO comes back from vacation and kicks my ass for not training."

Melinda smirked. "Yeah, you better."

"Bye, May. Give that baby a big kiss for me."

"I will. Bye."

Melinda disconnected the call just as Phil came back into the room. He took a seat on the bed beside her and held out the bottle. "Your mother made breakfast. It smells incredible."

Now that, Melinda thought, was worth getting up for.

"YoYa," Phil said, reading the sign of the baby boutique they now stood in front of. Smiling, he looked over at her. "It's trendy."

Melinda rolled her eyes. This was what they drove another two hours for? "What are we doing here?" She asked her mother who had just gotten out of the car ahead of theirs.

Her mother gave her a blank stare. "My granddaughter came into this world with one tiny bag of possessions and you ask why we're here?"

"She's got a point," Phil said, nonplussed.

Melinda scoffed. "We could have shopped for her in town."

"Yes, but I have made an appointment in the city for later."

"An appointment? For what?"

"You'll see," was all she said.

Melinda glared at her mother's form until it disappeared into the shop. "I'm going to kill her."

Phil's lips pulled up as he stepped in front of her. He took her by the arms, rubbing them up and down in an attempt to soothe her. "No, you're not."

She looked up at him through narrowed eyes. She just dragged them to New York to go shopping? For an appointment that probably had nothing to do with them. How was he not angry? "This isn't frustrating you?"

"How can it? I'm not at work. I'm out with my girls, about to spoil my daughter by buying half of this store. Yeah, we had to take another trip, but I got to hold your hand the entire way."

For a heartbeat, all she could do was stare up at him. "You're as bad as she is," she grumbled, feeling her resentment softening after his little speech.

"Maybe. Come on, try not to think about what your mother is up to and come shopping with me. You know a part of you has been looking forward to this."

Before she could respond Phil leaned forward and kissed her. She hummed a hum of surprise but felt herself melting into the kiss. Damn him. Moments later, he pulled away with a knowing smirk. If he thought he could get away with kissing her to get her to go along with him, well, he better think again. She was just about to tell him as much when Leia stretched, and Melinda adjusted her from cradling in her arms to lie against her chest.

Once Leia was settled Phil took her hand and led them inside.

The store was a lot bigger than it looked. Large floor to ceiling windows provided the shop with an abundance of natural light. Phil tugged her with him over to the clothes that were all arranged in a rainbow line from the front to the back of the wall.

"Awe, Mel, look. Unicorns."

Oh good God, no. She glared at him. "Do you know me at all? Put that away."

He chuckled and replaced the outfit on the rack, then resumed browsing through. "Wanna help me out and tell me what's acceptable?"

"Nothing too bright and no unicorns," knowing Phil like she did she added, "and no bows."

He looked at her, amused, then a few seconds later pulled another outfit from the rack. "How about elephants and butterflies? They're pale pink. Not too bright." She raised an eyebrow, her eyes gazing over it. At least it didn't have ridiculous-looking cartoon characters. "Come on, admit it, it's cute."

"Fine, but stick to that theme."

After an hour, the shopkeeper held things at the counter for them. Between what they picked out and what her mother insisted on (a year worth of sizes) they couldn't carry it all.

They'd finally finished with the clothes and were filling a large shopping bag of essentials -pacifiers, burp cloths, fingernail clippers, baby shampoo, lotion, diaper rash cream- everything and anything they might need. Melinda was looking through swaddling blankets when she came across a rack of Moby wraps. She recognized them as one that her other self had the baby in. A sudden lump formed in her throat.

"Oh, those look interesting," Phil said, taking a package from a hook.

She nodded, dropped a kiss to Leia's head, remembering how delicately her other self had held up her daughter. "She had this. It's what she wore that night."

Phil nodded. "You should get one. Look, you can wrap her in it and do your Tai Chi, when you're making tea, walking around the Playground…"

She took it from him, replaced the polka dot monstrosity on the rack and grabbed the solid black one behind it. "I think I will."

They continued to browse, having most of what they needed as far as clothes and essentials. She followed her mother and Phil into the far back of the store where they had the furniture displayed.

She'd been mildly interested in looking, but Leia began to fuss so she took the baby into the mother's room to change and feed her.

Back out in the store, Phil was intently reading the back of a large box. Glancing around him, she saw a display of baby bouncers.

"What do you think?" he asked her. "I was thinking of having it shipped to the Playground. I'm sure Daisy would put it together for us. She is in big sister mode."

"Who'd have thought we'd have not one but two?"

"Anyone with half a brain," came her mother's voice from beside them. Her eyes narrowed at them both. "Stop acting married and come look at these cribs."

Phil ran his hand along the rail of a dark oak sleigh crib. "Oh, I like this one."

Melinda had to admit she liked the thicker wood. It felt so much more sturdy than the flimsier thin railed ones. The only problem she had with it was that it was bulky and would take up a lot of room. Which brought up another subject she wanted to bring up with Phil. Where she would spend her time off now that they had both agreed, that's what she would do? She opened her mouth, but then closed it. He tilted his head, his way of silently asking her what she was thinking.

With a deep breath, she ventured, "Where are we going to put it?"

He pursed his lips together, then shrugged. "Your room or mine. Wherever we decide to stay with her. Do you like it?"

She bit her lip. If they got it and took it to the base, it would fit better in his room. His was much bigger than hers. It'd make more sense to put it there, eventually, but before they decided on that there was something they still needed to talk about. "I like the black one better," she began.

"We can do black. Can't we, sweetheart?" He held out his hands and she let him take Leia. He bounced her gently from side to side, looking down at her while she sucked on her new pacifier and clutched his shirt tightly with one tiny hand.

"We should grab a smaller one to have with us this week. Something portable to have downstairs."

"Agreed," he said, his eyes still holding their daughter's. "Whatever you want, we'll get."

Taking a deep breath, she ran her hand over the rail of the bed. She might as well get it over with. "Phil, we should probably talk about me taking time off."

Phil looked up at her. "So we're having this conversation now?" She raised a brow at him, and he nodded. "Yeah, all right. Let's talk about that."

She swallowed. "I want to get a house or an apartment," she told him. During the drive, they talked about how long she'd spend with Leia. Initially, she thought three months would be enough but then the more they talked the longer it became until they mutually agreed on six months then they would reevaluate her return once it was up. "It can be somewhere close by. You can stay at the base if you want to. I'm not saying you have to live with us-"

"What if I wanted to?" he interrupted.

Her heartbeat picked up a faster pace. She stared into his eyes, looking for any sign of doubt or reluctance but finding none. "If you wanted to, you could," she told him, absolutely hating how hopeful she sounded.

"We'd need to do more shopping," he pointed out.

She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him her most committed nod. If he was all in, so was she. "We would. And I want to ask Daisy to come with us." His smile gentled even more if that were possible She had a feeling he wouldn't mind. "With Lincoln's death and everything, I think it might be good for her."

"I agree. She needs family right now. Making sure she knows she's a part of ours might help her heal."

"So we're doing this?"

"We are." He took a step towards her, closing the distance between them. "Lucky for us we have some time off. We can look for something together."

Her lips threatened to tug up. Yet a cautionary voice in the back of her mind questioned how quickly things were moving. It was only a week ago they ventured out for a meal together. And while neither one of them called it a date, there had been endless amounts of flirting and joking that they'd finally managed to leave the kids at home. Now here they were, talking about moving in together.

"You don't think we're moving too fast?"

He laughed at that. "Twenty years dancing around our feelings and now we have a baby, seems to me like we've been moving too slow."

Her heart thudded in her chest. It was one thing to hope he wanted the same things as her; It was another thing to have him confirm it. Especially now as his gaze was locked on to hers with those loving blue eyes of his. He reached up, tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. His eyes fell from her eyes to her lips. She rose on her tiptoes, meeting him halfway.

She felt his hand cradle the back of her head as his lips met hers.

She could get used to this.

Melinda didn't even want to think about what the delivery fee for all they bought cost her mother. Phil tried to pay, insisting on at least splitting the bill, but her mother wouldn't hear of it. His responsibility, she had told him, would be to get their purchases from her home back to their base.

He found that agreeable enough.

Twenty minutes later, and one packed SUV later, they left the boutique. But instead of getting back on the highway, they took a detour, stopping outside of a large brownstone building. Melinda gazed out the window. This must have been the appointment her mother had mentioned. Whatever it was she hoped it wouldn't take long but one look at Phil as he turned to her, his eyes wide and knowing told her, she shouldn't hold her breath.

"What?"

"Bleecker Street," he said.

Melinda opened her mouth to ask what he meant, but just then the driver opened her door, distracting her. She took a sleeping Leia from her car seat while Phil clambered out his door. When she got out his look of awe coupled with the old building clicked.

Melinda walked over to her mother's large sedan. "What is this?"

"I won't be joining you back at home for a few days, but the driver will take you back when you've finished here," Lian told them. Melinda felt Phil's hand, warm, low on her back. Her mother gave a tilt of her chin in the building's direction. "He's promised to give you answers. I pulled many strings on this one. Do not embarrass me."

And just like that, her mother rolled up her window and drove away, leaving them to stare after her.

"Why do I get the feeling she was only referring to me?"

Melinda's stomach was twisted in too many knots to laugh, much less smile. He took her hand, and she followed him up the steps, standing beside him as he rang the doorbell.

They waited for what seemed like forever. Phil bounced on the balls of his feet, trying to appear casual enough while looking around them, making sure no one was watching. She didn't think anyone was, but his nerves put her on guard.

She was almost dumbstruck by the eagerness of the man who finally opened the door. He gestured for them to come in, and Phil waited for her to enter before following. "Director Coulson, Agent May, little Leia. Please come in." He led them through an impressively large foyer. There was a massive column of stairs in front of them with rooms off to the side. The man stopped in front of the stairs and turned towards them. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but Doctor Strange is out this afternoon."

His eyes went between them, but Melinda could tell his words were more for Phil than her.

Phil nodded, doing well to hide his disappointment. "Some super-secret mission?"

"Hot stone yoga."

His face fell. "Ah."

Melinda rolled her eyes.

"My name is Wong. Would either of you like a drink? Some tea?"

"No, thank you," Melinda said before Phil could answer. She wasn't there to meet any superheroes or have tea time while making friends. He had answers for them and that's all she wanted. "We'd just like to know why we're here."

The man nodded. "Your mother indicated you had questions about Leia's parents."

"We do. Can you tell us if they're okay?" Phil asked.

There was a pause, and Melinda could tell by the downcast look on the man's face what his answer would be before he even said it. "I'm afraid not."

She held Leia tighter, and, though she wasn't sure she wanted to know, asked, "What happened?"

"Please understand," Wong began looking between them. "We rarely give out these sorts of... answers."

"Okay," Phil tore his gaze from Wong to her then back, "so anything said in this room is classified. Trust me, we understand more than most. Was it another Thanos?"

"It was something a little closer to home. A supernova."

"A supernova?" she repeated, confused.

Phil must have been just as perplexed because he asked, "But doesn't something like that take millions of years? It's not something that happens overnight."

"No, it isn't. Unless the process is helped along by more powerful forces."

"No one could stop it?" she asked, not bothering to mask her tone of utter disbelief.

"By the time most knew what was going on, it was too late to reverse the effects. You and your wife…" he paused shaking his head then backtracked, "your... other-selves merely were in the right place with the right person which is why you have Leia with you now."

"Can you tell us who this person was?" Phil asked.

"I cannot."

"Okay, so this person... they were the ones who let the other May bring Leia here?"

"They were."

"And when the other me went back?" she asked feeling like the ground was being swept from underneath her.

"I'm sorry. No one survived."

The silence in the room was deafening. Melinda felt like his words had taken all the air from her lungs. They were gone. Just like that.

Phil was the first one to speak. "And there's no way to help or change what happened?"

Wong's voice was thick with sympathy when he answered with a soft, "No."

She looked up just in time to see Phil's jaw clench. Not being able to help, not being able to save them, to be so helpless wasn't something that sat well with him. It didn't surprise her at all when he replied with a slightly angry, "But you have the power to if you wanted."

Wong's eyes narrowed at the accusation. "That's not how it works. We do not break the laws of nature. We do not tamper with time; we defend it."

"And yet, whoever it was, they allowed Leia to be brought here," Phil argued.

"That decision was not in our power and it did not change the fate of their universe or ours."

She reached out and grasped Phil's arm. He looked over at her, and she shook her head.

He sighed. "All right, thank you." Wong led them back to the door, but before he opened it Phil asked, "Oh, just one more question. That fate won't be happening here, will it?"

"I can't-"

"Yeah, you can't say. We got it," Melinda muttered, turning back to the door.

"If it's any comfort," Wong's voice called, making them pause and turn to him. "They had one another. In the end."

"It does. Thank you." Phil said then as an afterthought, added, "Tell Doctor Strange I like what he did with the place."

Wong brightened. "I will. The drapes were my idea. Brightens it up more."

Melinda was quiet on the drive back to her mother's, and even when they arrived she took Leia upstairs while Phil sorted through the purchases they made.

A half-hour later, she put Leia down and made her way downstairs. She sat the baby monitor down beside her on the coffee table in case Leia woke.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.

A deep ache that she'd buried in her chest bubbled to the surface. They lost everything, she wanted to say, but didn't. "There's no point. They're gone."

His eyes were knowing and sad. "You expected another outcome."

She swallowed past the lump in her throat. She had. She expected them to come back. To open a portal or whatever the hell it was, smiling and victorious as they took their daughter back into their waiting arms. She expected to be heartbroken. Funny thing was, she still felt that way. Maybe even more so because they were a family. They deserved to raise Leia.

"I expected them to save themselves and-" her voice broke.

His voice was gentle as he raised his hand to cup her cheek. "The world?"

She looked up into his eyes. He smiled, and it was sad and yet accepting. "Yeah."

"They did," he murmured, "they saved their daughter."

Agent Melinda May didn't cry, but Melinda May, mother and woman who loved Phil Coulson more than anything, let the tears that filled her eyes slip down her cheeks. The dam she'd constructed that kept her emotions at bay broke. He was right. They saved the world. They saved their world. Phil's arms went around her. "Hey, come here."

Wrapping her arms around his middle, she tucked herself into his side. He held her tight, dropping a kiss to her hair, as she thought of the daughter they had sleeping upstairs that was now theirs.

"What are we going to tell her?" she asked into the quiet of the room after her tears had dried.

"The truth," he murmured, "when she's old enough."

They sat together and watched the flames of the fire, letting them draw comfort from holding each other until the sounds of Leia's whimpers took them both upstairs.


End file.
